Recap time:• In your groups of 4…

• Recreate a scene from the Aeneid!

The Romulus and Remus Myth

Aim: to understand the Romulus and Remus myth in context

What does the Capitoline Wolf tell us about Romulus and Remus?

ROMAN IDENTITYThe ‘Capitoline Wolf’

Lets have some context first…

Aeneas joins the Latins and Trojans

His son Ascanius (Lulus) founds Alba Longa

When he dies, his son Silvius takes over.

His son Latinus Silvius founds other settlements.

There’s a bunch of other kings (all called Silvius)

Aventinus has two sons: Numitor and Amulius

Silvius means ‘from the forest’…

interesting?

Continuing the two

identities!

What happens next…

• Numitor was supposed to be king.• Amulius has a strop, over throws him and

banishes him, taking the crown.• He kills Numitors sons (cut the blood line)• Forces Numitors daughter, Rhea Silvia to

become a Vestal Virgin- no kids for her either!

And now for a silly video

Virgil…There Vulcan had depicted the story of Italy and the triumphs of Rome, as he was not ignorant of prophecy and the ages yet to come. He moulded there every generation that would descend from Ascanius, and the wars they would fight in order. He had placed there too the motherly wolf, lying stretched out in the green cave of Mars. The twin boys hung around her teats playing, and suckled from their ‘mother’ without fear. With her noble neck bending backwards, she caressed each of them and touched them with her tongue.

Roman God of

Fire

Livy• Obviously Romulus and Remus weren’t Cow

tipping!• Livy gives a very detailed description of the

myth.• Task: In your source booklets- read

paragraphs 4 to 7 (stop when you get to Hercules).

• In the right hand margin bullet point the key events

But I think that the beginning of such a great city and the start of the greatest empire on earth was fated to happen. The Vestal virgin was raped and gave birth to twins; she said that Mars was their father either because she thought it was true or because it sounded better if a god was responsible. But neither gods nor men could save her or her sons from the king’s cruelty. The Vestal was chained up and sent to prison and Amulius ordered the boys to be thrown in the river rapids.

Rhea Silvia raped by Mars, gives birth to Romulus and Remus

Amulius gets mad

Rhea Silvia imprisoned and the boys chucked in the River

Myth and identity

• Mars is the Roman God of War.

• How does this shape Roman identity?

Descended from the Son

of Venus (Aeneas)

Descended from the sons of Mars

The Wolf- myth busting• Raised by a wolf?• What does that add to

Roman identity?• Link to the name Silvius

Myth busting- current belief is that ‘the wolf’ was actually a prostitute.Latin for wolf = LupeLatin for brothel= Lupanarium

Why change it to a wolf?

Lupanarium- Pompeii

Plenary- Romulus and Roman Identity

• Is the Romulus myth and addition to existing ideas about identity (from the Aeneid or something completely new?

• What do these myths tell us about the Romans?

Homework- 1 week

Using the bullet points in your source booklet:

Option 1- Turn the Story of Romulus and Remus into a cartoon (like with the Aeneid)

Option 2- Do something different with it- film? Animation? Interpretive dance?

Key to success- YOU MUST INCLUDE ALL THE KEY CHARACTERS AND ACTIONS